Libyan Civil War

[Random Hero]

I was wondering what other people's thoughts are on Libya?

Without foreign intervention, I really don't know what the outcome of this conflict will be. I do believe that the "rebels" are Libyan Revolutionaries, that are fighting for freedom and peace. (Though some media states they have no idea of the rebels intentions after overthrow.)

As for foreign intervention, I would wish the United States to stay the hell out of it.

 

[Raif]

I think the way things are going now Ghadafi is going to straight up murder any rebels he can. Foreign intervention/pressure, or even just the threat of intervention, could help save some lives.

 

[Matt]

If there is no foreign intervention then the Rebels will be wiped out.

Obama needs to strap on a pair and help us and the Frogs attempt to get a no fly zone or there is gonna be a massacre.

 

[Dmitri]

Regardless, people are going to die. America is just another factor that could make things even more chaotic, both politically and nationally.

 

[Matt]

Regardless, people are going to die. America is just another factor that could make things even more chaotic, both politically and nationally.

This is nothing like Iraq, all the countries around Libya would support it.

The whole world would support stopping this guy kill thousands of people.

We have to stop this shit and stop ****ing around.

Amazing how America has gone from one extreme with there president

 

[Matt]

Double post!

 

[Ser Gregor]

Per Matt, this needs to be dealt with, and swiftly. Ghadafi's effectively butchering any rebel he can. This entire rebellion was a spur-of-the-moment thing. It didn't have months of planning, they have no infrastructure, very little in the way of armor and weaponry, and it'll be a massacre.

The United States, Britain and France are the best-equipped to deal with it, and they'll get nothing but support from Egypt, Tunisia, etc.

 

[Random Hero]

Sorry, but in all likelihood America is not going to get involved, we have too much shit on our plate right now.

Congress will not vote for any measure that will send any military force to Libya, whether by sea, by air, or by land. Your only hope is for President Carter... I mean Obama to sign an executive order, which he won't. He will sit in the oval office with his thumb in his ass like he has been doing since he was inaugurated.

 

[Matt]

Sorry, but in all likelihood America is not going to get involved, we have too much shit on our plate right now.

Congress will not vote for any measure that will send any military force to Libya, whether by sea, by air, or by land. Your only hope is for President Carter... I mean Obama to sign an executive order, which he won't. He will sit in the oval office with his thumb in his ass like he has been doing since he was inaugurated.

Then the defining part of his Presidency's foreign policy could be him looking on while a massacre happens.

What a ****ing disaster, but it's ok. The Middle East Hearts America now because of Obama.

 

[Random Hero]

I guess it is time for the EU to take up the mantle of World Police, because America is getting ready to put in its' two weeks notice.

 

[Matt]

I guess it is time for the EU to take up the mantle of World Police, because America is getting ready to put in its' two weeks notice.

We Can't.

Us and the Frogs want to go in, the Germans don't want to and the Italians need Libya or there country goes into stand still without all the natural resources from Libya so there umming and arring.

We don't have enough planes between us to do a no fly zone.

We need the Yanks, Clinton saying a no fly zone couldn't be led by the Americans.

What a stupid ****ing women, Who'd expect the World's major super power to help stop a major civil war? How ****ing silly of us.

 

[Sovereign]

Libya is not in the direct interests of the United States. It hardly import any oil from there; its mostly concerned because of rising oil prices which are being driven by the current unrest in the Middle East. An intervention by the U.S would not solve anything. A No-Fly zone, would hardly give the rebels a significant advantage. Gaddafi's pilots are ill-trained and have been unable to inflict any major casualties on the rebels, nor have they been able to do any damage to Benghazi or other rebel-held towns.

Obama is being wise in holding out. This civil war could last for years. There is no need to rush into battle. An international consensus should be built before in order to ensure a more effective response to the crisis.

 

[Random Hero]

Source: AP via Yahoo! News

BENGHAZI, Libya – Moammar Gadhafi's forces swept rebels from a key oil town Sunday with waves of strikes from warships, tanks and warplanes, closing on the opposition-held eastern half of Libya as insurgents pleaded for a U.N.-imposed no-fly zone.

Gadhafi's troops have been emboldened by a string of victories in the struggle for Libya's main coastal highway but their supply lines are stretched and their dependence on artillery, airstrikes and naval attacks makes it hard for them to swiftly consolidate control of territory, particularly at night.

The insurgents claimed they moved back into the strategic town of Brega after dusk in a fast-moving battle with a constantly shifting front line, destroying armored vehicles and capturing dozens of fighters from Gadhafi's elite Khamis Brigade.

The United States sent U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton to meet with rebel leaders in Paris on Monday as world powers consider trying to ground Gadhafi's air force.

The Obama administration and other governments have expressed deep reservations about a tactic that would require them to destroy Gadhafi's air defenses and possibly shoot down his planes. The Arab League raised the pressure on the U.S. and its NATO allies on Saturday by asking the U.N. Security Council to impose a no-fly zone, but a day later they appeared no closer to taking action.

"This was a rare decision of the Arab League," rebel spokesman Abdul Basit al-Muzayrik told Al-Jazeera. "We call on the international community to quickly make a firm decision against these crimes."

The poorly equipped and loosely organized rebel fighters said throughout the day they were fleeing the oil town of Brega under heavy attack, losing a vital source of fuel for their vehicles and leaving Gadhafi's military less than 150 miles from the main opposition city of Benghazi.

A spokesman for Gadhafi's military declared it had seized control of the town and was "dealing with the situation."

It was impossible to independently confirm either side's account because it has become too dangerous for reporters to operate in the contested area.

Ajdabiya is the only other major population center between Gadhafi's forces and the rebel headquarters. If his successes continue, the Libyan strongman will soon face the choice of consolidating his control of the Mediterranean coast or moving swiftly toward Benghazi and the prospect of a devastating battle.

"Benghazi doesn't deserve a full-scale military action," army spokesman Milad Hussein told reporters in the capital, Tripoli. "They are a group of rats and vermin and as soon as we go in, they will raise their hands and surrender."

Gadhafi's navy, army and air force began pounding Brega with artillery, rockets and bombs Sunday morning and didn't let up all day, forcing doctors and wounded people from the town's hospital with a missile strike, several rebels told The Associated Press after fleeing.

"There wasn't any time to breathe, to do anything," one fighter with responsibility for logistics said by telephone as he fled Brega for Ajdabiya, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) by road to the east. Explosions went off in the background.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, he said the opposition was bracing for conflict in Ajdabiya by evacuating doctors and the wounded from there, too.

He said some rebels had gathered in a seaside village a few miles east of Brega, hoping to halt Gadhafi's forces. He said more fighters from rebel strongholds in the east were heading to Ajdabiya to prepare for a battle there.

The rebels were trying to secure the southern and eastern roads to Ajdabiya and storing provisions and weapons there after the loss of free access to gasoline in Brega.

"I think they are bombing heavily because they want to win time before a no-fly zone is imposed," the rebel shouted over the phone.

An opposition leader in Ajdabiya said the rebels planned to retake Brega and were attacking Gadhafi's forces with guns and roadside bombs as they moved in reinforcements from government-held cities in the west.

Another rebel said that after their initial defeat, opposition forces destroyed armored vehicles and captured dozens of fighters from Gadhafi's elite Khamis Brigade, driving others back into Brega's airport.

A fourth opposition fighter told The Associated Press by telephone that celebrations had broken out in the nearby city of Ajdabiya, and celebratory gunfire, honking and shouting could be heard in the background.

"We are on our way to Brega to celebrate with our brothers there," he said.

However, about an hour later he said Gadhafi's forces had pushed the rebels back to a town called al-Ojela, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) east of Brega.

The rebels fighting to oust Gadhafi from power after more than 41 years were inspired by protesters who toppled authoritarian rulers in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt. A week ago they held the entire eastern half of the country and were charging toward the capital, Tripoli.

Then Gadhafi's troops began reversing those early gains with superior weaponry and firepower from the air.

With much of the fighting in the east taking place along the coastal highway bounded by strips of desert, there are few places for the rebels to take cover, forcing them to withdraw under fire before attempting to surge back.

On Sunday, Gadhafi's forces also appeared to edge closer to Misrata, battling rebel fighters on the outskirts of Libya's third-largest city, 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli, residents reported.

One resident, who did not want his name used because he fears for his safety, said streets inside the city were empty as people took cover in their homes and the noise of tanks, anti-aircraft fire and machine guns grew ever nearer.

He said several tank shells had struck inside the city, hitting a mosque and an apartment building.

 

[Sovereign]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/world/africa/18nations.html?_r=1

U.S is going in.

Expect British-French air strikes "within hours"

**** YEAH.

AMERICA.

 

[Matt]

Bout ****ing time.

Only took France and the UK going on about it for a month.

But I was led to believe the no fly zone was a pointless idea.

Sin, I are confused?

 

[Sovereign]

Bout ****ing time.

Only took France and the UK going on about it for a month.

But I was led to believe the no fly zone was a pointless idea.

Sin, I are confused?

It's not just a no-fly zone. They're allowing air strikes against Gadaffi.

 

[Matt]

It's not just a no-fly zone. They're allowing air strikes against Gadaffi.

Which is essentially what a no fly zone is.

You go in with planes, bomb anything that could take out planes.

Just like Bosnia.

So it's a no fly zone with a tiny modification.

So I was right.

Woot.

 

[Sovereign]

Which is essentially what a no fly zone is.

You go in with planes, bomb anything that could take out planes.

Just like Bosnia.

So it's a no fly zone with a tiny modification.

So I was right.

Woot.

No. They're going to attack tanks and artillery to. It allows states to undertake "any measure" to protect the people of Libya, short of deploying troops.

 

[Moriarty]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/18/world/africa/18nations.html?_r=1

U.S is going in.

Expect British-French air strikes "within hours"

**** YEAH.

AMERICA.

Yeah, I almost shit myself. It's about ****ing time we got over there and kicked their asses.

 

[Matt]

No. They're going to attack tanks and artillery to. It allows states to undertake "any measure" to protect the people of Libya, short of deploying troops.

I'm still right.